Name means a hell lot to some brands

Sep 09, 2011, 05.09 PM IST

"Welcome to Hell"

Text: Neha Dewan

Pictures: Getty Images

Next time somebody tells you to go to hell, head straight to Greater Kailash in New Delhi. You can find Hell at the bustling M-Block market there. Walk in to see a skeletons’ rock band behind a slab reading ‘R.I.P.’. Numerous pictures of fire, serpents, ghostly figures and rock shows adorn the walls as you make through to the dimly lit second floor that has satanic and gothic interiors.

The bill counter looks like a graveyard, hiding behind several crosses backlit in red. Don’t miss spider web-like grills. And you can devour Bloodbath, Ghoul, Green Gore, Demon …. Welcome to Hell, a new pizza pub in the town.

1/4

Grabbing consumer attention is a challenge

It’s already a hit, growing some 25% month-on-month since its launch in January. “Of course, some people have criticized our ambience. But what the hell, nothing better than negative publicity ,” says Ineet Dua, who brought the New Zealandbased international pizza chain to India along with his sister Jigyasa. Barely 6 km away, in the Select City Walk mall at Saket, the store window of handmade cosmetics firm Lush India invites you to “Get in, Get Dirty”!

Lush India Director Sangeeta Kamath says its ‘Dirty’ range of body sprays, shower gels and shaving creams, launched in May, was sold out in the first week. “Such names are an instant draw. People get curious to know more about the product,” she says.

2/4

Markets now controlled by young consumers

In a cluttered and competitive market where winning users’ attention is one of the biggest challenges for a new entrant, a slew of brands has realised its good to play bad, to make an instant connect to young consumers. Killer Deo, Harley Davidson’s Fat Boy Bikes and Lush Cosmetics’ Gorilla Perfumes are among the recently launched brands that hinge on the negative. “

We are living in a day and age of acute brand clutter. A negative or wicked name gives an edge to the brand as it incites someone to find out more sooner than later,” says brand consultant Harish Bijoor. A negative name gives a brand a daredevil image and a mystique element that arouse curiosity, particularly among youngsters.

3/4

It all starts with a name

“It all starts with a name. We decided to name our restaurant Papa Pancho in Bandra 10 years back. It was very Punjabi in essence and one could even perceive it as an abuse but it worked out well,” he says. In most cases, these brands extend their name as a philosophy and play around it in their advertisements and promotions. Hindustan Unilever’s deodorant brand Axe, which has a target clientele of young men, rides high on ‘The Axe Effect’ tagline.

Its ads have been bold and cheeky , many times courting controversy in India. Hell Pizza, which has a serpent as its logo and serves the “most wicked pizzas” in town, has a graveyard complete with crows and a moving ghost on the background of its website. Experts, however, say India is still largely conservative and extreme negative names may backfire.